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Arizona ADAP Cuts Number Of Medications Covered Under Program
The Arizona AIDS Drug Assistance Program (ADAP) has reduced the number of medications it will cover - antiretrovirals and drugs that treat opportunistic infections will not be affected, the Arizona Daily Star reports. The program relies heavily on federal funding. Judy Norton, chief of the state"s Office of HIV, STD and Hepatitis C Services, said the state received $2.3 million less than what it requested from the federal government, requiring the program to make cuts. According to the Daily Star, federal ADAP funds are "drying up as drug costs rise and as more" people living with HIV/AIDS are enrolling in the program. The Arizona ADAP has been serving about 1,100 patients statewide, although the number has gone up in recent months, Laura Oxley, Arizona Department of Health Services spokesperson, said. A letter explaining the changes to the program was sent to clients and providers earlier this week (Innes, Arizona Daily Star, 6/11).

Fox Chase Researchers First To Determine Structure In A Class Of Self-Regulating Proteins
Sections of proteins previously thought to be disordered may in fact have an unexpected biological role - providing certain proteins room to move - according to a study published by researchers at Fox Chase Cancer Center in this month"s issue of the journal Structure (Cell Press).
News of the day
World Cup Campaign To Build Centers To Provide HIV/AIDS Education, Other Services To At-Risk African Youth
Authorities in South Africa have begun construction of one of the 20 planned Football for Hope centers in Africa -- part of a 2010 World Cup campaign called "20 Centers for 2010" aimed at reducing the prevalence of HIV/AIDS, poverty and crime in local communities -- the AP/Google.com reports. The center under construction in South Africa"s Khayelitsha township will include a soccer field, community center and after-school programs that will focus on sex education and HIV/AIDS education. The International Federation of Football Association, or FIFA, in alliance with Streetfootballworld, a network of development groups, is providing the campaign with $10 million in funding. Ghana, Kenya, Mali, Namibia, Rwanda and other African countries will be home to the remaining 19 centers.According to FIFA President Joseph Blatter, the campaign "emphasizes the power of football far beyond the boundaries of the pitch." He added that the centers will "provide a platform for communities to address social issues such as children"s rights, education, health, HIV/AIDS prevention and will leave a legacy for Africa that will last long after the final whistle of the 2010 FIFA World Cup has been blown." Helen Zille, premier of the Western Cape Province, said construction of the center in the township "shows what we can do when we focus on getting things right rather than concentrating on what"s wrong," adding that she hopes the center is successful with its HIV/AIDS education efforts. The center will be run by Grassroots Soccer, an HIV/AIDS education organization that uses the sport to educate youth. Nocawe Tyali, a life-skills and football teacher who works with teenagers, said the new center will give young people an alternative to high-risk behaviors and enable the area to offer more youth football programs that include an HIV/AIDS prevention message (Nullis, AP/Google.com, 5/25).
Public Health

Health Costs, Availability Hurt U.S. Entrepreneurship Innovation

Reuters reports that, due to the difficulties in getting or paying for health insurance, "countless workers in the United States are trapped in jobs they would like to leave ... calcifying innovation and mobility in the world"s largest economy." Reuters notes that when he was head of the National Federation of Independent Businesses, "Todd Stottlemeyer frequently encountered would-be entrepreneurs who let their ideas go stale and their products languish on the workbench because they did not want to shoulder their own health care costs. " Reuters also reports that it has several other consequences, noting that, "Because health insurance is tied to employment in the United States, workers who leave their jobs can see health bills skyrocket if they strike out on their own or take a position with a company that offers fewer benefits. Workers who would like to retire early stay on, unable to qualify for the government"s Medicare program until they turn 65. And those who have existing health problems may not be able to get coverage at all" (Sullivan, 6/1). This information was reprinted from kaiserhealthnews.org with kind permission from the Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. You can view the entire Kaiser Daily Health Policy Report, search the archives and sign up for email delivery at kaiserhealthnews.org. © Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. All rights reserved.


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